Petty tiffs turn fatal underlining narrow tolerance among youth Premium

Surge in impulsive murders over petty disputes in Telangana highlights need for mental health support and intervention.

Twentyeight year-old Masood Ali was killed by his friends on Tuesday night after an argument over a mere ₹13,000. The fortnight has witnessed over 5-7 such cases, including 28-year old Ravina Dhurvey, who was killed by her husband when there was a slight delay in serving dinner while in another incident a group of friends stabbed one of their friends during a disagreement over ‘dinner and drinks’ session. Series of impulsive murders have brought spotlight on the surge in murder cases due to disputes, particularly petty quarrels in the State.

The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data revealed that such cases have increased by 27% (691 in number) in Telangana in just one year between 2021-2022.  

“Murder cases in the State are mostly ‘in the moment’ kind with only very few planned ones. This has been the case in the current year and in the recent years,” explained Cyberabad Commissioner of Police Avinash Mohanty adding that the State has not seen many repeat offenders in murders, except rare cases of serial killers. 

“Today we are in the era of high functional humans. The fuse is very short, and any minor thing can set people off. Most people are dealing with stress, unaddressed anxiety disorder and depression, and it goes unnoticed until an incident happens,” mental health professional and therapist at Dhrithi Wellness Clinic Purnima Nagaraja said.

There are several factors at play, increasing anxiety and uncertainty in the post-pandemic era, lowering tolerance levels, lack of empathy and cognitive dissonance being the prominent ones, she added.

In the cases like that of the 28-year old Ravina Dhurvey (who was killed by her husband for a slight delay in serving dinner), the issue could also be the ‘sense of entitlement’ stemming from patriarchy, said a psychologist. Having said that, it is also the unaddressed depression and frustration among the males that can lead to such tendencies.  

Other factors that contribute, according to clinical psychologist at TherapHeal Poornima Chandrashekhar, include low socio-economic status, poor education levels, family history and poor emotional regulation right from young age. Meanwhile, lack of criminal profiling and in-depth criminal psychology studies along with dearth of platforms for professional counselling are adding to the woes, she said.